‘We want him to be safe’: Cockroach Janta Party founder’s parents fear political fallout

The rapid rise of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on social media has left the parents of its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, worried and unable to sleep, fearing he could land in trouble or even face arrest.

Speaking to a Marathi news channel, Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, who live in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said they do not want their son to step into politics. They said they have been deeply anxious ever since they came to know about his latest political initiative, news agency PTI reported.

Fear political consequences

According to them, such fears are only natural in the present political atmosphere. “If we look at politics today, fear is natural, no matter how many followers he has. In one of his interviews, he himself said he feared being arrested after returning to India. We keep reading about such incidents in newspapers,” Bhagwan Dipke said.

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Abhijeet’s mother, Anita Dipke, said she wants her son to stay away from politics and instead focus on building a stable career, adding that she would not support him in this path.

“We only want him to return home safely. Whether he continues in politics is his decision, but we do not want him to pursue it. I do not know if he will listen to us or not. I will not support him in this. I am worried about him,” she said.

Anita said Abhijeet studied in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar before moving to Pune for higher education. She said engineering turned out to be difficult for him, after which he moved towards mass media studies.

His father said Abhijeet later went abroad to study journalism because his sister was already settled there. Bhagwan Dipke added that he had hoped his son would eventually take up a regular job in Pune or Delhi.

Family unease over fame

Dipke’s parents said they initially had no idea about the formation of the party and only came to know about it through neighbours. Later, their grandchildren informed them about the outfit’s rapidly increasing social media following, including the fact that it had overtaken several major public figures and political parties online.

“One of my grandchildren told me that he has more followers on social media than many prominent people in the country. Earlier, he had worked with AAP. Even then, I told him that we were not into politics and that he should pursue a service,” she said.

Bhagwan Dipke said the sudden popularity of the CJP on social media has made him extremely anxious. “I am worried because he is now famous. And such people get arrested. I have not slept for the last two nights thinking about what could happen to him. I hate politics and have no interest in it,” he said.

Anita Dipke said she had similarly discouraged her son from entering politics when he earlier worked with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Cockroach movement goes viral

The party has now crossed 19 million followers on Instagram, overtaking the Bharatiya Janata Party’s following on the platform. On X, the party’s original account was withheld in India following a legal demand.

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However, within hours, another account called “Cockroach is Back” appeared on X and gained more than 21,000 followers in a little over an hour. Its bio reads: “Cockroaches don’t die!”

The Cockroach Janta Party was launched by Abhijeet Dipke after controversy erupted over remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who had used the words “parasites” and “cockroaches” while referring to unemployed youth.

Much of the party’s content revolves around issues affecting young people, including unemployment, exam paper leaks, and education. Its messaging is presented through graphics, animations, parody manifestos, and charter-style demands.